BREAKING NEWS EFCC seizes Fayose’s multimillion-naira houses in Lagos, Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized some properties said to belong to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State.

It was learnt that the properties located in the highbrow areas of Lagos and Abuja were seized as part of investigations into the N1.219bn the governor allegedly received from the Office of the National Security Adviser when Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) held sway, through a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, as well as some kickbacks he (Fayose) allegedly received from the Ekiti State Government contractors.

The anti-graft agency has also quizzed a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, on his alleged role in the $15bn arms scam.

Falae was grilled by investigators at the commission’s office on Thursday.

Investigators told one of our correspondents that the seized houses belonging to Fayose were allegedly purchased with stolen funds and the EFCC invoked the Assets Forfeiture clause to seize the properties in line with Sections 28 and 34 of the EFCC (Establishment Act) 2004 and Section 13(1) of the Federal High Court Act, 2004.

The seizure came less than a month after the governor’s three Zenith Bank accounts were frozen by the anti-graft agency.

One of our correspondents, who visited two of the properties on 32 Yedseram Street and 44 Osun River Crescent, Maitama, Abuja, observed the inscriptions ‘EFCC, Keep Off’ on the fences.

According to court documents filed by the EFCC, the property on Osun River Crescent was bought by Fayose in the name of his London-based sister, Mrs. Moji Ladeji.

The governor reportedly pulled down the structure of one of the Abuja properties and started building a new one.

The two properties, which are uncompleted buildings, were said to be worth over N470m.

Source: PUNCH

ENTERTAINMENT The truth about Dbanj’s marriage

Is popular pop singer, Dbanj married or not? Ever since social media went agog with the news that Dbanj had finally quit bachelorhood, this question has become the most asked among fans of the Kokomaster as he is fondly called.

Penultimate week, bloggers went to town with news that the pop singer got married to Lineo Kilgrow, who is reportedly an undergraduate of the University of Abuja.

To some, the news is a big deal while to others, it is an attempt by Dbanj to attract more attention to himself and ultimately, his music.

Even though fans are eager for Dbanj to divulge the true details, Sunday Scoop can authoritatively reveal that contrary to what is being reported in the entertainment circles, Dbanj did not have a court wedding.  What took place was a formal introduction ceremony as it is customary between a groom’s family and that of his bride-to-be.

It was learnt that Dbanj pleaded with his bride’s parents for the introduction to be hosted at his father’s house in Lagos because he did not want it to be an all-comers affair. Luckily, they were in support of his suggestion, a source told Sunday Scoop.

The introduction was witnessed by only close family members of the couple. The Kokomaster was unhappy the news leaked but was again comforted by the knowledge that bloggers got many of the facts wrong. According to his camp, he did not get married at Onigbongbo Registry, Ikeja, neither did the couple have a traditional introduction in Jos, Plateau State.

A source close to Dbanj told Sunday Scoop that Dbanj chose not to react to the news making the rounds.

“Dbanj has given so much information about himself to the public and he deserves to keep some things private and this is one of those things. He is not worried about losing female fans, he just wants his marriage and the impending white wedding off public radar,” the source said.

Source: PUNCH

JOKE The difference between Potentially and Realistically

A son asked his father, ‘Dad, what's the difference between Potentially and Realistically?’ The Father replied, ‘If you really want to know, go ask your mother if she'll sleep with Robert Redford for one million dollars, and then go ask your sister if she'll sleep with Brad Pitt for one million dollars. And then go ask your brother if he'll sleep with Tom Cruise for one million dollars, and then come back to me and tell me what you found out.’ So the son goes to his mom and says, ‘Mom, would you sleep with Robert Redford for a million dollars?’ and the mom says ‘For a Million Dollars, Hell yeah, I would, I've been wanting to forever.’ So the son goes to his sister and asks her if she'll sleep with Tom Cruise for a million dollars and the sister says ‘Oh man, would I ever. I'd Love To.’ So then the son goes to his brother and says, ‘Would you sleep with Tom Cruise for a million dollars?’ and the brother says, ‘Hmm...for a million dollars, well...a million dollars is a lot of money, so...yeah I guess I'd do it for a million dollars’ So the boy goes back to his dad and the dad says to his son, ‘Well, what did you find out?’ His son replies, ‘Well, we're Potentially sitting on three million dollars, but realistically we're living with two sluts and a fag........Hahahahahahahaha

OPINION How to ‘defeat’ EFCC or die trying!

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission “carry” you? What’s there? It simply means you have arrived! Whatever you do, never plead guilty! The EFCC’s budget is not even up to N15bn, yet as a bonafide big thief worth N25bn, you already know you can match the EFCC naira for naira. Remember that its budget will not even be used to fight you alone, it has to fight other big thieves like you. When broken down per capita thief per thief, the EFCC probably has just about N100m to fight you. Before the battle gets started, your advantage over the EFCC cannot be over-emphasised but you must do more.

This is the time to remember you are a Christian and do not forget that the President is a Muslim. Every political battle is a battle of narratives before anything else, so you must make sure to sponsor analysts to critique the President’s inclination towards only going after thieves who are Christians. Some “oversabi” people will try to point out to you that he is also going after Muslims but that is not your business; your business is to focus on your agenda and spend and spend until you believe your narrative is actually the truth. In this game, the truth takes the shape of the glass you want it, the truth is not absolute here. Remember to let people know that the EFCC is coming after you because you are not from Daura. Have you not noticed that nobody from Daura has been charged by the EFCC? So, scream until Nigerians believe you. Let me tell you something about an average crowd, they do not exactly care for the truth, they care for who is able to dress their own truth best.

This is not the time to be wearing suits up and down; wear your traditional attire. You will need to be seen as being persecuted because of the “continued marginalisation of our people!” Who cares? It is not your business whether there is federal character in the comity of thieves. You will need to hire ethnic entrepreneurs whose nuisance value amounts to political value at this time. They are the ones to organise widows with husbands at home who just need the N1000 you pay to their wives after a successful protest against the government for “witch-hunting” you. I suggest you do not even use “witch-hunt” because it has been over-used and is now faded. Don’t say, “I am being witch-hunted,” because people will say that is all the big thieves say when they are caught; so, you must differentiate brand from those other thieves by saying, “I am being isolated for persecution.”

You cannot do this on your own. The easiest way to perish as a thief in Nigeria is to try to eat alone. You eat alone, you go down alone! So, organise some money for social media, you need people using your photo on their profile pictures and the #FreeBigThief (replace your name with Big Thief) hash tag will come in handy. This one is not expensive, you can give some of those people N5,000 and you are good to go. See, spare some money for analysts who cannot defend you directly but can scatter the conversation so that people can no longer understand if President Muhammadu Buhari is even fighting corruption or he is abusing human rights. These analysts are easy to identify; just look for the people that are quiet when people return stolen money or people who never bother to speak about human rights when the poor are abused. They are very loud when the conversation is about human rights and the rule of law but only when this rule is about how it applies to big yet-to-be-convicted thieves. Your media agenda will not be complete without some strategically placed articles in the newspapers.

Nigeria is a complex country; you must use that complexity to your advantage. Tweet about how you just finished hosting another student group and some tweets showing the visit to your house by Nigerians of other ethnic coloration does your national credibility a lot of good. Power is nothing without control, a Nigerian politician equals to zero without a sell-out crowd! Do not be naïve asking how to get a crowd screaming your name. N1000 times 2,000 is just N2m. So, with N5m, you can have a crowd of 5,000 people welcome you home on your return having secured a N500m bail. See, no one dares a loud crowd motivated by money!

Your job is not done! You need an international agenda to do with your local moves. You know Buhari used to be known as a dictator, all you need now do is wear him that cap again! You should be smarter than to think he will agree to wear such in this modern world where being a dictator is being regarded as being the modern Mussolini. He won’t agree to wear the cap but you can dress him in absentia. There are many willing foreign media consultants especially in Washington and London who will help you pen strategic, “Is Nigeria’s Buhari Really the Born-Again Democrat He Claims To Be?” or even more direct ones like, “Buhari Is The Reason Nigeria Is Failing!” Look, the credibility of the author does not matter, it does matter if even in his or her own country, the author is worth the price of two used tissue papers; what matters is that the article is on a foreign platform. Nigerians may not buy whatever you sell but once you package it inside a foreign attire, we “go buy am samsam!”

Your job is still not done. To whom much is given, much is expected so to whom Baba Daz sent too much money, much he must do, to survive the onslaught of the law! If you do all these and you don’t get the best lawyers, you will amount to a big fool who spent millions of naira trying to host a party but without good food and good music. It will only end in a disaster! Whether you are a Christian, Muslim or a mixture of one of them and some African religion, you must know that once the EFCC is after you for stealing, your prayer must now go straight to your lawyer o! That prayer will of course fail if not backed by the right billions. See, lawyers never lie; they only want to win in court. Meanwhile, do not steal N25bn and then hire a N25,000 lawyer, you will go to jail faster than it takes Usain Bolt to finish a 100m race and you’d have deserved it. Because not only are you a thief, you are a dishonourable thief! LOL. No one steals to “chop alone”, you steal most of it for yourself; you leave some for a possible refund or where you don’t want to be seen as a chicken that budged easily, you leave some for all of the above.

All of these would be useless without an illness. It does not matter that you have been hale and hearty through all your years of fruitful stealing, an illness is your fastest route towards getting a bail and possibly an opportunity to go see your doctors abroad. You are the only one who needs to know your doctor is simply the person in charge of helping to move your loot to safe havens.

By the time you do all of these, Buhari’s tenure would be closing in on its full mandate. Who knows, the next president could even apologise to you, return the money collected from you and even top it up with a national award. Except of course Buhari institutionalises the war and makes it hard for the next president to reverse the gains against unrepentant thieves like you. You do not want that, you must begin to identify the thief you want to run as president even now. See, uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, your own head will carry fire! Corruption must fight back, it needs you as a soldier! A Looting Continua!

SOURCE: PUNCH

POLITICS Imo: Governor sued over assault linked to aides

Imo state Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has been dragged to court for allegedly ordering his aides to beat up Anthony Amadi and Chigozie Oparaku, who were in the Compound of Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, when the Governor arrived with a demolition squad that demolished part of Iheanacho’s compound.

This was just as the victims are asking the court to award them N50 million in damages for the varying degrees of injuries that they sustain during the brutal assault by the Governor’s Aides.

The duo said that their only crime was that they had brandished an order of the Federal High court, Owerri restraining the Governor from demolishing Ihenacho’s property,that rather the governor ordered his security details to beat them up.

According to him, “About an hour later, the Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha in company of his full security detail came to Captain Ihenacho’s house and the Governor ordered the engineer to demolish Ihenacho’s house, we then went towards the Governor as much as the security details would allow us and showed him the court order, thereupon, the Governor ordered his security details to beat us up and arrest us,” Amadi narrated.

In an affidavit deposed to by Anthony Amadi, he said that on the 7th of July, 2016, while at Captain Emmanuel Ihenacho’s house, they noticed agents of the Imo state government advancing towards Ihenacho’s house with heavy equipment and with intent to demolish the property. They approached the engineer in-charge of the demolition and showed a copy of the restraining order against the said demolition and the Engineer obeyed and withdrew his equipment.

The victims recalled that they were beaten for over half an hour by more than 20 security details of the governor just for daring to show them a restraining order of court against their illegal action.

“At the end, we could hardly stand or walk, and they carried us and dumped us at the Shell Camp Police Station without any medical treatment,” Oparaku they submitted.

Amadi’s left eye still have blood clots and opens with difficulty while Oparaku has an ugly lump on his back all sustained after the beating.

They also said that in spite of the fact that the Imo state Police Commissioner had duly acknowledged a petition by their Lawyer Amadi Obi against the Imo state Governor,that they were dumped in the Shell Camp Police cell without treatment.

“Receipt of the petition was acknowledged the next day, yet the commissioner refused to release us to seek medical care instead we were transferred from Shell Camp Police Station to Owerri Area Command at Fire Service.

We were released on the fourth day without any charge against us. We were only told that we were detained on the orders of Governor Rochas Okorocha and that was exactly what was written on the incident board.”

However, the Chief Press Secretary to the Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo said that the Governor has not been served with any court summons.

SOURCE: THE SUN NEWSPAPER

ENTERTAINMENT Emeka Ike moves to stop wife’s divorce, takes case to High Court

Lagos – A popular Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike has informed a Lagos Island Customary Court that he had filed an application before a High Court restraining the lower court from hearing the divorce suit filed by his estranged wife, Emma.

Emma had sometime in 2015 approached the court to dissolve the 16 years union between her and the Nollywood actor on grounds of incessant battery. The allegation which the actor had vehemently denied, and begged the court not to separate them, saying “I still love my wife’’.

When the matter which was slated for judgment came up on Tuesday, Emeka’s lawyer, Mr Abdul Labi-Lawal informed the court that his client had filed a stay of proceedings before a High Court in Lagos.

Emeka Ike and his estranged wife, Emma The application marked FCMP/20054/16 had Emma and the Customary Court President, Mr Awos Awosola as the first and second defendants respectively.

The application sought the High Court’s declaration that the Lagos Island Customary Court lacked requisite jurisdiction to entertain and determine the Ike’s divorce suit.

The application noted that the marriage between the estranged couple was conducted in Enugu State under the Igbo customs and traditions. Emeka also urged the High Court to declare that all the proceedings already conducted by the Customary Court in respect of couple’s marriage be rendered null and void.

The Nollywood actor also applied for a perpetual injunction restraining the Customary Court’s President, Awosola, and any other person appointed in the capacity of entertaining and or continuing the proceedings in respect of the couple’s divorce suit.

Labi-lawal, therefore, urged the court to stay proceedings on the suit pending the hearing and determination of the suit at the High Court. Opposing the application, Emma’s lawyer, Mr Iheanyi Awa urged the court to discontinue the stay of application and deliver judgement.

Awa, who said Emeka’s application was aimed at arresting the court’s judgment, informed the court that neither his client nor himself had been served with the application. “It is an attempt to arrest the judgment of the court, I am aware that the respondent wants to arrest the judgment which is to be delivered today.

“The stay of proceedings has been decided for a long time and court has ruled that it has jurisdiction to entertain the matter. “It is a ploy to frustrate my client, they just want to delay the judgment till another day. “The court should give its judgment and if they are not satisfied, they can appeal,” he said.

After listening to the submissions of both parties, the court said; “In view of the submission of the respondent, the stay of proceedings is hereby granted, and the matter is hereby adjourned sine die.’’

SOURCE: VANGUARD

NEWS Reverend father allegedly burnt in lover’s house flown abroad

A Reverend Father with a Catholic diocese in Anambra State (names withheld), who was allegedly burnt by a cooking gas fire in a lover’s house at Allen Avenue, Awka, has been,reportedly, flown abroad for treatment.

A source said the priest was flown abroad to cover traces.

Our source, who pleaded anonymity, said the lover died in the inferno while the Reverend Father sustained high degree of burnt.

“Your inquiry isn’t exactly false. His (Reverend Father’s) relative is a friend and he did not say anything different from your proposed report,” the source said.

It was gathered that the priest was relaxing in a one-room apartment of the alleged girlfriend (who was identified as a student of a university in the state) on the fateful day when the incident occurred.

“The girl died on the spot, but the priest was hurriedly smuggled away and we now hear that they have flown him abroad, apparently to cover traces. Are there no hospitals in Nigeria?

“I have told them to stop covering this story. What do they want to achieve by hiding this story? The truth should be said and shame the devil,” the source maintained.

But another source, who would not want to be named, said, “The priest was involved in the gas fire accident trying to save a life. All these side talks are not unnecessary.”

When Abuchi, Onwumelu, the Press Secretary to the Bishop of the Diocese, Most Reverend Paulinus Ezeokafor, was contacted on the telephone for reaction, he said he had heard about the gas fire incident involving a Reverend Father, but had no full facts of the story.

Onwumelu, who said he was in a function when our reporter called him, promised to get back to our correspondent, but he never did by the time of filing the report.

Similarly, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ali Okechukwu, said the matter had not been reported to his office.

He promised to reach the Divisional Police Officer of ‘B’ Division, where the incident allegedly occurred and get back to our correspondent, but he never did.

SOURCE: PUNCH

SPORTS Barca sign Lyon’s Umtiti

FC Barcelona have completed the signing of France defender Samuel Umtiti from Lyon in a deal worth €25m, the Spanish champions announced on Tuesday.

Umtiti, 22, will pen a five-year contract with Barcelona which includes a buy-out clause of €60m, the club said in a statement.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu confirmed last month that the two clubs had reached an agreement over the transfer while Umtiti was on international duty for France at Euro 2016.

The Cameroon-born centre-back made his France debut in the quarter-finals against Iceland and retained his place in the team for the next two matches, including Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Portugal in the final.

Umtiti, who can also play at left-back, will be officially presented as a Barcelona player on Friday after undergoing a medical at the Camp Nou.

SOURCE: PUNCH

NEWS Rivers police recover missing N60.25m cash

OPERATIVES of the Rivers State Police Command on Monday recovered a cash sum of N60.25m two days after it was declared missing.

The police said the huge sum of money belonging to one of the new generation banks in the state, was recovered through an intelligence report.

A bullion van conveying over N100m cash was allegedly declared missing on Friday, July 8, 2017 after the van came into Port Harcourt from Aba in Abia State, to deliver the said cash.

OPERATIVES of the Rivers State Police Command on Monday recovered a cash sum of N60.25m two days after it was declared missing.

The police said the huge sum of money belonging to one of the new generation banks in the state, was recovered through an intelligence report.

A bullion van conveying over N100m cash was allegedly declared missing on Friday, July 8, 2017 after the van came into Port Harcourt from Aba in Abia State, to deliver the said cash.

It was learnt that a formal complaint was lodged at the Rivers State Police Command, which immediately began investigation into the disappearance of the money.

However, two days after, it was gathered that the said amount (N60,250,000) was found by the police at a place where it was allegedly abandoned in a taxi car.

Addressing newsmen at the state command after the recovery, the state Deputy Police Commissioner in charge of Administration, Mr. Uche Anozia, said that the bullion van was rented to convey money for two new generation banks in Port Harcourt from Aba.

Anozia noted that the van went missing when security escorts attached to it disembarked after it had delivered part of the cash to one of the banks (Zenith Bank).

The DCP explained that the driver of the bullion van drove off to an unknown destination after the security escorts allowed him to go and deliver the N100m to the other bank.

“On the 8th of July, last Friday, we received a report by one Mr. Stanley Ndubuisi of Bankers Warehouse, a company located at 36, Forces Avenue, Old GRA, Port Harcourt.

“The company engages in bullion van services. These bullion vans are rented by banks to convey their cash to and fro. So, on this day, a bullion van was rented from this company by Zenith Bank and Stanbic IBTC Bank, here in Port Harcourt.

“The bullion van was to go to Aba to the branches of these particular banks to convey cash to Port Harcourt on behalf of these banks. The bullion van was manned by a driver, who drove the vehicle to Aba.

“When it (bullion van) arrived Port Harcourt, it went to Zenith Bank and delivered part of the money owned by the bank to it. According to the complainant, at that point the soldiers disembarked and left.

“Now, it remained the money for Stanbic ibtc Bank and the driver alone. Consequently, the driver absconded with the money.”

Anozia said after the report came up, the police commenced full investigation in the development.

He said, “Useful intelligence was received by me in my office on July 11 that a certain Ford Explorer was found parked on the premises of a supermarket, Everyday Supermarket, located in the GRA and that the vehicle contains sacks suspected to be bank property.

“I immediately dispatched my DC operations to the area to verify and validate the information. Fortunately for us, it was discovered that the sacks in the vehicle belong to Stanbic IBTC Bank because of the seals on them.

“The amount recovered, according to information, after check is N60, 250, 000. The driver that parked the car at that spot was the driver of Everyday Supermarket. He is on the run now.”

The DC said no arrest had been made at the moment, but stated that investigation was still ongoing with the aim of arresting everyone involved in the act.

Anozia, however, urged banks to always attach their staff members to bullion vans when transfers and transactions were made.